Component carrier activation and deactivation using resource assignments

• US 9,220,107 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2014
• Issued: 12/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sun Patent Trust
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Loehr, Joachim, Golitschek Edler von Elbwart, Alexander, Feuersaenger, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Harper, Kevin C
• Application Number:
  US14/464,266
• Publication Number:
  US 20140362722A1
• Time in Patent Office: 489 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0026 Transmission of channel quality indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0038 Blind format detection for detection of modulation format H04L27/0012
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0046 Code rate detection or code type detection H04L1/0038 takes precedence; detection of the data rate H04L25/0262; for packet format H04L1/0091
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0061 Error detection codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0072 Error control for data other than payload data, e.g. control data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1657 Implicit acknowledgement of correct or incorrect reception, e.g. with a moving window
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03866 using scrambling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0055 Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0057 Physical resource allocation for CQI
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0096 Indication of changes in allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0098 Signalling of the activation or deactivation of component carriers, subcarriers or frequency bands
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/146 Uplink power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/30 using constraints in the total amount of available transmission power
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/34 TPC management, i.e. sharing limited amount of power among users or channels or data types, e.g. cell loading
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/343 taking into account loading or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/365 Power headroom reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 : Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 : Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 : in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal

Abstract

This invention relates to a proposal of an uplink resource assignment format and a downlink resource assignment format. Furthermore, the invention relates to the use of the new uplink/downlink resource assignments in methods for (de)activation of downlink component carrier(s) configured for a mobile terminal, a base station and a mobile terminal. To enable efficient and robust (de)activation of component carriers, while minimizing the signaling overhead, the invention proposes a new uplink/downlink resource assignment format that allow the activation/deactivation of individual downlink component carriers configured for a mobile. The new uplink or downlink resource assignment comprises an indication of the activation state of the configured downlink component carriers, i.e. indicate which downlink component carrier(s) is/are to be activated or deactivated. This indication is for example implemented by means of a bit-mask that indicates which of the configured uplink component carriers are to be activated respectively deactivated.

Claims

1. A communication method comprising:

receiving resource assignment information including a plurality of bits that indicate activation/deactivation statuses of respective downlink component carriers, the downlink component carriers being secondary downlink component carriers added to a primary component carrier which is always activated, each downlink component carrier corresponding to one bit included in the plurality of bits, and the one bit indicating that a corresponding downlink component carrier is to be activated or deactivated, wherein when any one bit of the plurality of bits indicates that its corresponding downlink component carrier is to be activated, the plurality of bits jointly indicate the activation/deactivation statuses and a sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission request;

activating or deactivating each of the downlink component carriers according to the resource assignment information; and

starting an SRS transmission on an uplink component carrier linked to the activated downlink component carrier(s).

2. The communication method according to claim 1, further comprising:

performing a channel quality measurement for each of the activated downlink component carrier(s); and

reporting channel quality information (CQI) for each of the activated downlink component carrier(s).

3. The communication method according to claim 2, wherein the reporting of the CQI is performed on uplink resources assigned by the resource assignment information.

4. The communication method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving SRS configuration parameters for the SRS transmission via higher La Ter signaling, the SRS configuration parameters comprising a periodicity and a sounding bandwidth.

5. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of bits include at least one unused bit.

6. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein the resource assignment information comprises a CRC field that is masked with a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) assigned to a mobile terminal for the activation and deactivation of downlink component carriers.

7. The communication method according to claim 6, wherein at least one codepoint of a carrier indicator field (CIF) of the resource assignment information indicates whether the resource assignment information includes a bit-mask for (de)activating the downlink component carriers, or whether an uplink resource assignment is not used for (de)activation of the downlink component carriers and only assigns uplink resources.

8. A communication apparatus comprising:

a receiving section which, in operation, receives resource assignment information including a plurality of bits that indicate activation/deactivation statuses of respective downlink component carriers, the downlink component carriers being secondary downlink component carriers added to a primary component carrier which is always activated, each downlink component carrier corresponding to one bit included in the plurality of bits, and the one bit indicating that a corresponding downlink component carrier is to be activated or deactivated, wherein when any one bit of the plurality of bits indicates that its corresponding downlink component carrier is to be activated, the plurality of bits jointly indicate the activation/deactivation statuses and a sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission request;

an activating section which, in operation, activates or deactivates each of the downlink component carriers according to the resource assignment information; and

a transmitting section which, in operation, starts an SRS transmission on an uplink component carrier linked to the activated downlink component carrier(s).

9. The communication apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

a CQI measuring section which, in operation, performs a channel quality measurement for each of the activated downlink component carrier(s); and

a reporting section which, in operation, reports channel quality information (CQI) for each of the activated downlink component carrier(s).

10. The communication apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the CQI is reported on uplink resources assigned by the resource assignment information.

11. The communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the receiving section further receives SRS configuration parameters for the SRS transmission via higher layer signaling, the SRS configuration parameters comprising a periodicity and a sounding bandwidth.

12. The communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of bits includes at least one unused bit.

13. The communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the resource assignment information comprises a CRC field that is masked with a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) assigned to the communication apparatus for the activation and deactivation of the downlink component carriers.

14. The communication apparatus according to claim 13, wherein at least one codepoint of a carrier indicator field (CIF) of the resource assignment information indicates whether the resource assignment information includes a bit-mask for (de)activating the downlink component carriers, or whether an uplink resource assignment is not used for (de)activation of the downlink component carriers and only assigns uplink resources.